Reviews by sennin:

More User Reviews:

The beer pours a brownish-red color with a tan head. The aroma is full of toffee and caramel malt, with some strong herbal notes. I get a lot of sage, as well as some other spices which I can't really identify. There is also a big of dark fruit in the aroma.

The flavor is nice. I get some sour cherries and apples, as well as some toffee, sage and caraway. There is a nit of oak in the flavor as well. The combination of sourness and herbal notes make the flavor a little bit harsh.

(T) Smell is far better than the taste. The caraway and spices are really bold. Almost too spiced. The front is really good and has some sourness to it but the rest of the flavors and taste is too much.

(M) Ends dry. It's very spicy and hefty on the body but far too rich.

(O) Smell is awesome. The flavor is a bit of a let down. Not sure if age could help this one or what, but I wasn't an overall fan.

Had this one during the 'We Want The Funk!' tasting that was graciously hosted by beermeX2! Big thanks goes out to my buddy Chad (not sure if he is on BA or not) for sharing this one with the group! A gusher! Blend 4, Bottled 12-31-2010. Served from bottle into a Mikkeller flute. Poured red-orange with a half finger off-white head that subsided to a minimal amount quickly. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, wood, sour, and slight funk. The flavor was of sweet malt, sour, tart, and wood. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a nice brew. The sour/tart aspect of this one really set it apart for what I was expecting based on the style. I didn't really pick up on any of the spices associated with this brew, but since the flavor wasn't too bad, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Went down really smooth and was quite enjoyable.

Very happy I was able to try this at Stone Bistro on tap. I have read reviews and was not expecting the "normal" JP beer...and it was really not that. I am a self proclaimed JP fanboy and even I knew this beer was a bit "off". Reviewed from notes.

Appearance - Given in a standard tulip with a almost cola like color. Only a half finger of tan head that dissipates fast leaving slight lacing.

Smell - Smells...muted. I honestly feel Ron put this beer out before it was ready due to pressure from Stone. There are definite spices but a clear lack of the JP funk (there is some but just not as much as expected) that I would expect with this beer.

Taste - Yeah, as expected. Quite heavy on the spices and honestly can pick out the caraway seed. However, there is a definite funk to it, though again, it is muted. I have two (about to have three) of these beers in my cellar. Knowing JP, anything with some age on it from them seems to taste better. In a year (or more), I feel the spices will be more subdued and the funk a bit more. I can't wait to retry this - but as of now, it is not up to normal JP standards.

Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, decent carbonation.

Drinkability - While as of now I wouldn't drink more than the glass I had, it is not an F. I had a full glass of this and put it down no problem...tasted zero alcohol in the mouth or throat. I really can't wait to try this in a year. Cheers!

Pours a dark and murky russet tone, served around 45-50º into a tulip. Consistent head retention, lasts for the duration of the glass. Visible carbonation rising around the edges. A finger or so of tan foam that sticks to the edges, leaving random bits of spotty lace.

Leads off moderately tart, cherry skin, grape, and dark berries, segueing into earthy dry sage in the middle, which builds and lingers long in the savory finish. Fresh turned soil, mushroom, and crackling fall leaves are suggested by the combination of wild yeast and spices. Sage and chestnut seem to be the dominant ingredients, though they blend seamlessly with the base beer and funky yeast. Finish is exceptionally dry with lingering pleasant herbal notes. It has a supple feel with ample carbonation, the abv is well disguised. Overall very drinkable, and an underrated success. A very unique and creative dark wild ale with signature JP funk.

Enjoyed this even more than these brewers' previous collaborations, likely due to the barreling and aging at Jolly Pumpkin. It paired nicely with washed rind cheeses, Ardrahan and Petit Frere.

This one pours a dark, muddy water brown in color with a light beige lacing around the glass. It smells very sour, very acidic, with an amount of butter. It drinks very dry and is full of herbal spices, possibly rosemary and sage. It has a tea leaf component which is really interesting. The aftertaste is leafy and bitter. Very earthy. It's interesting that's for sure. It smells better than it tastes. The tea, the leaves, the type of sour that is presented is odd. It drinks fine. The flavor is just odd. It's solid, it started great, but tastes mediocre. Interesting to say the least.

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a Gouden Carolus chalice. This beer was bottled on 12/30/2010, about 6 weeks ago.

Appearance: After popping the cap, the slightly tan head overflowed from the opening, good thing I had my glass handy. After the pour, the head in my glass settled into a quarter inch, dense layer. The foam in the bottle keeps slowly rising out. The beer is a dark brown with a little amber in there as well. It seems very lively as I can see minuscule bubbles rising, some sediment in there.

Smell: Very tart and sour aroma. A little red and green apple, some sage as well, with some other herbal notes.

Taste: Right away I get some tartness, not as much as I thought there would be based on the aroma. The tartness has some under ripe strawberries and cranberries. The sage really comes through at the end. After the swallow there is bit of bitterness along with some black pepper.

Mouthfeel: Medium carbonation and medium body. The carbonation level is a little low, but the what bubbles are there are very perky. The sourness and oak together really makes me pucker.

Overall: Between the oak and the low carbonation level, this beer really has some wine qualities. The sour flavors are refreshing and a nice change of pace, but the whole package doesn't leave me wanting more than the 750 mL. The sage is nice, but a little overwhelming.

Thanks to Jason for bringing this to the UFC 126 and food swap tasting.

A - Brown beer without a lot of head, carbonation appears low on this one. Somewhat transparent and clear, looks fine.

S - Smells not fine. Weird spices that seem more suited for cooking than beer. Seems to be a bit of a sage bomb which is a poor choice for a beer.

T - Taste follows the smell in that it is not good at all, pretty much gross. Lots of spices, primarily sage and caraway. There is some caramel backbone, but it's not helping. This beer is just awful, something that should have been tasted and destroyed, not put into bottles.

M - Little flat, which is disappointing which would have been been better as it might have distracted from the horrible taste.

D - Yeah right, this is so bad, can't get it down. No one should drink this or give it to anyone else to drink.

Pours a deep amber to brown-ish color with a tan head. In the aroma, sour white grapes, sage, and a small fruitiness. In the taste, sour white grapes to a dry nuttiness and a nice spice profile, especially with sage. A sour bite and medium to light bodied mouthfeel, with a dry sour and nutty aftertaste. Nice sour with great profiles of sage and chestnuts.

(A)- Pours a dark reddish highlighted mahogany color. Produced a nice cap of off-white froth. Plenty of lacing left behind.

(S)- Spice city! Lots of juniper and sage for sure. Orange citrus peel all over the place. Very festive, but more in a fall harvest sort of a way. This is different, but the aroma is very intriguing and enjoyable.

(T)- Again, spices all over the place. A nuttiness with the juniper and sage (maybe too much sage). Orange peel again with a heavy bittering spice that must be the carraway. Some tartness and oak in the far background.

(M)- A mellow carbonation level. This is just all over the place with heavy spices that lean towards alot of bitterness. Some oak tartness and nutty fruits.

(D)- This has unique written all over it, though not really in a good way. I really like its aroma, but after that is where it lost me. Kinda disjointed while seeming to be like 3 styles of beer at the same time. This needs serious time for all of those really heavy and bitter spices to mellow out and allow that nice oaky tartness in the background to show up better.

S: A really interesting nose. When I smell this, I can't help but think of a mixture of cola and Dr. Pepper. Lots of sweet dark sugar and fruits. Raisins, plums, and cherries with a moderate tartness. A hint of toffee and chocolate.

T: Like the nose, the cola and Dr. Pepper thing is very strong. There is a bit more of a spice character to it, but none in particular really stand out. Decently sweet with a nice tartness from the dark fruit notes.

M: Medium in body with a pretty low level of carbonation.

O: Not sure what the hate is about with this beer. It wasn't amazing, but not too shabby.